A WORRIED dietician has warned of the risks that mandatory calorie labelling could have for people with eating disorders - while making little difference to the obesity problem.

Glasgow dietician Nathalie Jones expressed her concerns around the Scottish Government’s plan to introduce calorie amounts on restaurant and cafe menus in a bid to tackle obesity.

Government figures show two-thirds of the population in Scotland is overweight or obese.

A public consultation on the proposal was launched last Friday, as a similar measure came into force in England.

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The dietician, who works with people who are overweight as well as people with eating disorders, said the measure places “too much emphasis” on calories, which can be damaging for those who struggle with food.

She said: “It could be really harmful for quite a lot of people with conditions like anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder.

“They might find it very difficult to eat out and seeing calories on a menu can be triggering.”

According to eating disorders charity Beat, these are “serious mental illnesses affecting people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds”.

Glasgow Times: Glasgow dietician Nathalie Jones works with overweight people as well as people with eating disorders.Glasgow dietician Nathalie Jones works with overweight people as well as people with eating disorders.

Disordered eating behaviour is used as a way to cope with difficult situations or feelings, for example, by “limiting the amount of food eaten, eating very large quantities of food at once or getting rid of food eaten through unhealthy means”.

Ms Jones added: “People with eating disorders have a lot of harmful thoughts and fixations on calories and weight.

“It can make people choose what to eat based solely on calories, feeding into that pattern that we try to get away from during treatment.”

Ms Jones thinks the policy could be unhelpful for those trying to lose weight too.

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She said: “I don’t think it will make a big difference, it gives too much emphasis and importance to calories, when they are a tiny part of an overall diet.

“While for somebody who needs to lose weight the calorie amount obviously matters, it’s unhealthy to severely restrict it.

“They still have a right to enjoy food and have the odd thing in moderation, just like everybody should be doing.

“Food isn’t just there for keeping us alive, it’s also an enjoyment in our social lives.”

Glasgow Times: If passed, legislation on mandatory calorie labelling would see food outlets in Scotland print calorie amount on their menus.If passed, legislation on mandatory calorie labelling would see food outlets in Scotland print calorie amount on their menus.

Ms Jones suggested providing a calorie menu as an option in restaurants and cafes, to avoid distress to vulnerable people.

Another solution, she said, would be for people to make choices before going out, so that they can also discuss these in advance with a health professional.

The measure could see calorie labelling become a legal requirement for hospitality businesses, as well as hospitals and prisons.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “No decisions have yet been taken. This consultation provides an opportunity to identify potential unintended consequences, and any necessary mitigation measures, should mandatory calorie labelling be introduced.

“We take eating disorders seriously and will take consultation responses in relation to them fully into account.”

Consultations opened on April 8 and will last for 12 weeks. You can access the questionnaire on the Scottish Government website.